Embolization devices have heretofore been provided which can be used in intravascular procedures. Typically such prior art devices have used coils with fibers attached to the coils. In certain embodiments, the fibers are merely retained by friction between the windings of the coil making it possible for the fibers to become separated from the coil. In other embodiments, the fibers have been tied by knots to the windings of the coil, making the exterior surface of the coil lumpy or bumpy.
Apparatus heretofore provided for delivering such embolization coils to the site have included introducer cartridges for carrying the embolization coils and typically have been in the form of stainless steel tubes serving as shipping containers and also serving as introducers for the coils when they are being introduced into a delivery catheter. It has been found that such stainless steel cartridges do not interface well with the delivery catheter hub making it difficult to introduce the embolization coil from the stainless steel tube and traverse the part of the hub of the delivery catheter before entering the passage of the delivery catheter. There is a need for the introducer cartridge to be transparent along substantially its entire length to permit viewing of the embolization coil which heretofore has not been possible. Also in delivery catheters the hub has usually been opaque making viewing of the interior lumen difficult. There is therefore a need for a new and improved embolization device and an introducer cartridge and a delivery catheter as a part of an apparatus and method for delivering the embolization device to the desired site in the intravascular system.